Not Having A Baby In A Medical Facility Increases The Risk Of The Baby Dying

Editorial Team

A lot of pregnant Nigerian women don't use hospital facilities during their pregnancy.

This is because of the unavailability of hospital facilities in some parts of Nigeria, religious practices as a lot of pregnant women go to their church or mosque for deliveries and the traditional practice of having babies at home with the help of a local midwife.

Sometimes the major reason why some women decide not to give birth in a medical facility is because of the cost of healthcare.

Two studies published in the last few weeks, confirmed previous data that shows that not having a baby in a medical facility increases the risk of the child dying. In fact it increases the risk of the baby dying by about 4 times.

In one of the studies conducted, the neonatal mortality among babies delivered by a midwife in a hospital was 3.1 per 10,000 births. For midwives delivering at out of a hospital, the death rate was 13.2 per 10,000 (about four times the hospital risk.)

Most often problems occur when complications develop and the fact of the matter is that obstetric complications are not always predictable.

Post by Mamalette.com.

Hospitals are the place where medical interventions can be done quickly. And sometimes crude delivery methods in non medical facilities can inflict brain damage with lasting handicaps on the new babies.

Overall, studies have shown time and time again that a hospital birth dramatically improves the safety of delivery compared to having a baby at home, in a church or in a mosque.